Camping Trip Gone Wrong
by Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
Summary: Movie Verse - Pre-IR - It was just supposed to be a night for them, a night of fun, scary stories and songs around the campfire on the beach, marshmallows and hotdogs cooked over an open flame and a night of star gazing just the three of them. So how did everything go so wrong?
1. And A-Camping We Will Go

**A/N: I apologize first off if some of the characters don't quite match up. To be perfectly honest, this was one of my first stories - before Escape from Hell Fire was really in the works.**

**I hope you enjoy it, also I apologize in advance if the story is bad, I just figured that since it was done - finally after almost a year of writing on it that it should be posted.**

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"Hey dad, would it be okay if Tin-Tin, Fermat and I went camping down on the beach later tonight? You said we could the other day…so can we?" Alan poked his head into his dad's office when he knew his dad was taking a break from work.

Jeff raised his head from poring over the Tracy Enterprises spreadsheets and affixed his gaze on his eleven year old son. It wasn't unusual for Alan to ask these kinds of questions. He was a kid who was trying to reap the benefits of summer vacation with his two friends. The group of three was most generally seen lounging around on the beach or near the pool. Jeff smiled warmly at Alan before responding to his youngest son's inquiry.

"If Kyrano, Onaha and Brains don't have a problem with it…then it should be fine. You three will be planning on staying down in your cove where we can find you if necessary?" Jeff wanted to find out the general location of the proposed camping spot. The three kids had been begging to go for the last week and they were all actively tracking a meteor shower that they wanted to watch.

"Yeah, we would set up our tent in the mouth of the cave in the event that the weather changes course, but otherwise we will stay on the beach." Alan gave his dad a very hopeful smile. He was looking forward to watching the meteor shower, it was cool to try to count how many meteors fell out of orbit and Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat were hoping to track the trajectory of the meteors.

"All right, I give my permission…but I want you to clear it with Fermat and Tin-Tin's parents before you make any plans. We will go over a checklist this evening if all works out well." Jeff smiled warmly at the look of excitement on Alan's face. The boy didn't ever ask for much, so to grant him this small opportunity was a real treat. Alan couldn't help himself and in a moment of childlike joy, ran forward and gave his dad a big hug.

"Thank you, dad! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're the greatest!" Jeff caught himself when his young blonde haired son launched himself into his arms. It made Jeff laugh to see his youngest son so excited over a little backyard camping.

"You're very welcome Al. Now before you get too excited, go with Fermat and Tin-Tin and clear it with their parents. I would rather you not be down there by yourself, and if they can't go…I will have Gordon accompany you this evening." Jeff patted Alan on the back, urging him to go on. The blonde haired tyke turned and looked at his dad before giving him a large grin.

"Sure thing, dad. Thanks again!" Alan ran out of the office, yelling for Fermat and Tin-Tin as he went. Jeff had to hide a smile when two of his older sons came walking in after Alan ran out.

"Hey dad, what was Alan so smiley happy about? He left your office in a hurry with the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face." Scott tilted his head in question as he gazed at his dad, confusion clear on his features.

"I just gave him permission to go camping with Fermat and Tin-Tin on the beach this evening if their parents agree." Jeff smiled again at Scott and John. The twenty-one and nineteen year old both exchanged knowing smiles before looking mischievously at their dad.

"So, they wouldn't by any chance be staying down there by themselves would they?" John saw the playful sparkle in Scott's eye before looking at his dad.

"Well, if Fermat and Tin-Tin's parents agree then yes, it will be just them down on the beach this evening. If they disagree, then I was planning on asking Gordon to stay on the beach this evening with Alan. Why do you ask?" Jeff noticed the mischievous smirks on John and Scott's faces. The two elder brothers both loved to prank their younger brothers and if the opportunity presented itself, they most assuredly took it.

"No reason. We were just curious. See you later dad, I wanted to go show Scott something. Bye!" John physically drug Scott from their dad's office…shutting the door in the process. Jeff shook his head chuckling to himself.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alan walked with Tin-Tin and Fermat flanking his left and right side. The three of them were animatedly discussing their plans for the evening. Kyrano and Onaha as well as Brains agreed that the kids could go camping that evening. The parents were aware of the kids' plans to track the meteor shower and didn't want to see disappointment on their children's faces.

"So, do we want to go ahead and take our tent down now and get it set up, or do we want to wait until later this evening?" Alan looked between his two friends as they walked.

"I think we should wait until a little later. One of your brothers could fill it with a bunch of crabs or sand, and I for one don't feel like trying to shoo those little critters out of our sleeping space. The sand I wouldn't mind." Tin-Tin peered over her shoulder as if expecting one of Alan's older brothers to come materializing out of thin air. That seemed to happen a lot.

"I a-agree with T-Tin-Tin." Fermat murmured softly. He had a feeling that one of Alan's brothers was listening in to their conversation, but the only question was…from where? They were out in the open…near the pool. The only spot any of Alan's brothers could be hiding would be on the balcony in either Alan or Virgil's room.

"Okay, so later this evening we can set up the tent, and I'll ask dad to show me how to build a fire. We can go get our sleeping bags out of the hangar and then all we need to do then is get the hot dogs, stuff for s'mores and our canteens. That and our cameras, I want to try to film the meteor shower from the bluff." Alan held up a finger as he listed each thing they still had to do before their backyard camping trip. All three of them were so excited.

"Well, let's get going. We can go gather the sticks and wood for the fire now so then we don't have to do it later." Tin-Tin suggested. Alan and Fermat nodded excitedly.

"Oh, we can't forget our music. You know this would be the perfect time to sing out loud like nobody is watching." Alan looked at Tin-Tin with an impish grin. Tin-Tin glared at Alan with a fiery blush present on her face. Of course he couldn't forget that time he caught Tin-Tin dancing around in her bedroom singing into her hairbrush.

"Uh-huh. We all know you can't sing worth a hill of beans Al." Tin-Tin smirked at Alan. Two could play at this game.

"I can to sing, I just choose not to around my family." Alan blushed himself. He could sing and he knew that Tin-Tin knew of his ability to sing, but she also knew that he never sang because he didn't want to steal Virgil's thunder. After all, the seventeen year old boy knew not only how to sing, but how to play the piano and various other musical instruments.

"I'm just teasing Al. Of course we'll bring our music. After all, like you said…tonight would be the perfect time to sing like nobody is watching." Tin-Tin winked at Alan. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I-I knew you c-could sing Alan." Fermat mumbled out, his stutter only slightly present. The nine year old really only felt comfortable around Alan alone…but he was slowly getting used to his newly established friendship with Tin-Tin. They had after all been hanging out for the past year.

"How did you know I could sing? I don't ever recall seeing you around when I was singing." Alan was stumped. He usually sang when he was by himself down in his cove or in the shower.

"Y-You left t-the bathroom d-door slightly o-open and y-you were s-singing in t-the shower o-one morning a-after you s-spent the n-night in m-mine and m-my dad's a-apartment. It s-sounded really n-nice." Fermat looked up at his best friend. He knew Alan was shy about singing in front of others, but then it was just like how he was shy speaking in front of others.

"You can't ever breathe a word of that to any of my family!" Alan's blush at being caught singing increased.

"I w-would never s-say anything A-Alan…you c-can trust m-me." Fermat held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Good. Now let's go." Alan thought he'd heard a snicker, but he couldn't be sure. He wanted to get down closer to the jungle so they could gather wood for the campfire. Tonight was going to be so much fun.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

John and Scott were hiding in Virgil's bedroom just around the corner from the open window. The seventeen year old boy was glaring at John and Scott with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't approve of them eavesdropping on their baby brother's conversations. Virgil blinked owlishly though when he overheard what Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin were talking about. He didn't know Alan could sing. But still he elbowed Scott in the ribs when he snickered at how Fermat discovered Alan's singing.

"Shut up Scott. It's not that funny." Virgil watched as Alan looked around, he was absolutely positive that Alan heard Scott's snicker.

"Yeah it is. Maybe we can catch him singing later this evening. What say you John?" Scott shot John a conniving smirk. If the blonde agreed, they could use Alan's singing ability for potential blackmail material.

"I would like to hear Alan sing myself, so yeah…I am in." John nodded enthusiastically. He turned to his immediate little brother and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you in Virge?"

"I don't want to, just because if we are caught by Alan…the chances of him trusting us with a secret are zilch…but I want to hear Alan sing." Virgil was torn about respecting his baby brother's closely guarded secret and his interest in how well Alan could sing. "Fine…count me in. But I don't want to hurt Alan. You know how easily his feelings can be hurt."

"Yeah, Virge we know. We won't do anything to hurt Alan…I just plan on getting a recording for my records." Scott slapped John on the shoulder before copying the same action with Virgil. The eldest son left Virgil's bedroom shortly thereafter. John quickly followed, leaving Virgil to wonder if he'd made the right decision.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The sun had already gone down, Alan perched on his knees in front of a slowly smoldering pile of wood; holding a flashlight to see by. His dad had showed him how to build a fire using a flint and had left Alan to practice. He had been at it for the past hour. He couldn't seem to correctly operate the flint, and his arms were getting tired. Close to giving up, Alan tried one last time. His smile grew when a spark from the flint caught, igniting the pile of wood.

Alan fanned the flame; to be sure it caught and tossed a couple small pieces of kindling in it to feed the fire. As the fire grew in proportions, Alan rocked back on his heels to get away from the heat. After he was sure that the fire was good, he stood up and walked up to the cave where Fermat and Tin-Tin were working on setting up the tent.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Alan discreetly hid his amused smile at the mess that had been made. The tent itself was lying in a heap and both Fermat and Tin-Tin were unable to make heads or tails of the sticks and hooks.

"It would be going better if I actually knew how to set up a tent. I thought this would be easy." Tin-Tin put her hands on her hips and stared with disdain at the tent's materials. The way she looked at the tent, it was like she was trying to make it magically set itself up, saving her and Fermat the trouble. "Do you want to help? I mean…surely you have put a tent together before."

"Don't look at me. I've never put a tent together before, Scotty or dad always did it. I am sure I would just make a mess of things." Alan held up his hands to ward of the suggestion. Tin-Tin groaned in defeat at Alan's response. "Relax; we don't absolutely have to have a tent. That was the whole reason we were setting it up in the cave after all. Besides, it will make watching the meteor shower that much easier."

"I suppose you're right Al." Tin-Tin began gathering the tent and all the materials to put them away. There was no point in leaving them to lay around. "Come on, I am getting hungry and I want a hotdog."

"All right! Roasting hot dogs over an open flame. Come on Fermat, let's go!" Alan quickly helped Fermat and Tin-Tin put the tent and its unused materials away before grabbing the basket that Tin-Tin's mom made for them. It had hotdogs, graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars for s'mores, water, hotdog buns and the condiments that go well on hotdogs all packed in it.

"C-Coming Alan!" Fermat hurriedly put down what he'd been working on and walked out of the cave down to where Tin-Tin and Alan were busily preparing the sticks to roast hotdogs on.

"So, I think this calls for a campfire song…how about you Tin? Want to start us off?" Alan sat back on the sand, supporting his weight with his hands. Fermat was sitting on the other side of the fire, looking at both Tin-Tin and Alan.

"Fine. But you…get to sing the next one all by yourself." Tin-Tin pointed at Alan as she put extra emphasis on the 'you'.

"So give us what you got then Tin-Tin. Fermat and I will join in. I promise." Alan smiled innocently at Tin-Tin. He hoped she sang a song that he recognized.

"Well, here goes." Tin-Tin took a deep breath before beginning to sing.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Scott, John and Virgil snuck down to the beach slowly. They told their dad they were going to their rooms, but somehow their dad suspected they had something planned. He had warned them not to bother the three kids, reminding them how this was their chance to have fun…with no adult supervision. Granted, you could see the beach they were on from the observatory near the attic, if anyone wanted to know what they were up to…all you had to do was go peer out the window in their direction and you could see them.

The three brothers stopped when they heard loud raucous laughter nearer to the beach. They could see in the distance what appeared to be Alan and Tin-Tin marching around the fire…cutting up while they sang loudly to some goofy song. The boy and girl were laughing and Fermat appeared to be clutching at his stomach laughing loudly.

Scott, John and Virgil stopped where they stood when Alan and Tin-Tin turned to haul Fermat up to his feet. Slowly the group of three continued to sing, the melody becoming recognizable. Using the shrubbery as cover, the three older brothers slowly made their way closer to the group.

"The ants go marching huh? I wonder whose idea it was to sing that song." Scott whispered as he bit his lip while trying to keep a straight face.

"No clue, but look they are sitting down. Hopefully that's not all they are singing…I couldn't really hear it too well." John sounded mildly disappointed. He couldn't really hear his little brother singing, he mostly heard lots of laughing.

"Listen! Ssh!" Virgil halted their progress and made them sit in silence. Slowly they recognized the next song to be John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.

"Who's that singing?" Scott asked. He raised his head over the shrubs to see that neither Fermat nor Tin-Tin's mouth was moving. "That's Alan!" Scott whispered. He nudged John's shoulder to get him to look.

"Well, I'll be." John murmured quietly. He shook his head in disbelief but had to cover his mouth to stifle a chuckle when Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat shouted loudly before lowering their voices again. The group of three kids began clapping to keep a rhythm and got quieter as they sang.

"They are such characters sometimes." The three older brothers watched on in amusement as Alan pulled out his music player and set up a little portable speaker to it, before selecting a song that all three kids knew and joined in singing.

"Get your recorder out John. I want to get a copy of this." Scott again nudged John and the older blonde handed his older brother the voice recorder he used to tape his college lectures with.

"Hurry up. I don't want Al to catch us." Virgil tried prodding his two older brothers along. He was afraid of being caught. They were bound to stand out; they didn't really have much in the way of cover unless you counted the shrubs.

"Just a sec. Ssh." Scott held the voice recorder out just a little beyond the shrubs to pick up Alan singing along with Tin-Tin and Fermat. They were singing along to some new band the kids were going crazy over in the states. One…something. "Got it, let's go." Scott ushered his two brothers out of the immediate area and back up to the house.


	2. 9-10 Never Sleep Again

Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat lay down on the sand after eating. They were looking up at the sky, smiles wide on their faces. It was well past their bedtime and here they were wide awake and enjoying the open sky. It was breathtaking. Alan pointed out the constellations John showed to him to both Tin-Tin and Fermat. The girl and younger boy stared enraptured at the sky above as Alan described what he remembered of the constellations. Tin-Tin let out a gasp and pointed up.

"Look! It's the first meteor." Tin-Tin was squirming with anticipation and Alan couldn't help but to chuckle at his friend's excitement over spotting the first meteor. But it stood to reason. They had placed a bet of five dollars each. The person who spotted the first meteor would get ten dollars to their name.

"All right, you win Tin-Tin. Here you are!" Alan dug a five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Tin-Tin. Fermat held up his hand and reached over Alan to give his five dollars to Tin-Tin. She squealed with excitement, she had never won a bet before.

"Thanks guys!" Tin-Tin folded the bills and slipped them into her shorts pocket, reveling in her win.

"No problem, you won fair and square." Alan laid on the sand and pillowed his head upon his arms, gazing up at the sky…waiting for the next meteor.

The group laid there for the next two hours and watched in wonder as thousands upon thousands of meteors shot through the sky, some igniting to a red color…others being just a bright white flash. Fermat's watch beeped, signaling to the group that it was midnight. The group was getting sleepy, but they all tried to keep their eyes open. They were determined to stay up as late as possible, primarily to watch the meteor shower and also to try to watch the sunrise.

Alan crossed his legs at one point though. He was comfortable right now…and his body had just alerted him to something that couldn't wait. He had been trying to ignore it for the past ten minutes. Groaning under his breath, Alan sat up before crawling to his feet. Now that he was standing, the urge had become more pressing. Walking away, Alan became aware of Fermat and Tin-Tin throwing him curious stares.

"Where are you going Alan?" Tin-Tin was puzzled. He wasn't heading towards the cave where their sleeping bags were. He was heading towards the jungle.

"I have to pee! I'll be right back." Alan called over his shoulder, before resuming his determined walk to the jungle.

"Don't get lost!" Tin-Tin hollered out. She was teasing Alan again.

"Don't worry I won't!" Alan hurried up his pace to a slow jog. His need only became more demanding.

As Alan ran closer to the jungle, further from the light of the campfire, he became aware of how pitch black it was. He could barely see his own hands in front of his face. Unfortunately, he didn't bring his flashlight with him and he failed to see the lump lying on the beach. As he approached it, his foot hooked onto something and he tumbled over top of whatever had tripped him up.

"Ow!" Alan righted himself, rubbing his knee. He smacked it on something that felt as hard as a rock. Using the thing that tripped him up to push off of, he froze. Whatever he was touching was cold, wet and slimy. Sliding his hand along the slimy object, he gasped when he felt material.

Leaning closer to the slimy, cold wet thing, Alan was able to distinguish what felt like a shirt. Patting the shirt, he located an arm and slowed his movements. He was aware that he was touching a person, but the only question was…why was the person slimy…cold and wet?

A cloud had previously moved in front of the moon…blocking the moon's light from the land under its immense beauty. As the cloud moved, Alan could see that something was not right about the person he was touching. The person was obviously a man, judging from the beard on his face, but he was swollen and unmoving. And his face, it was… Realization dawned on Alan and he screamed before scrambling up to his feet, running back the way he came, back towards camp.

"Alan! What's wrong! Are you okay?!" It was Tin-Tin's voice as well as Fermat's. They both sounded frantic. They were running in his direction, while he was sprinting in theirs.

"There's a body! A dead man! Don't go over there Tin-Tin please!" Alan was talking so fast that Tin-Tin and Fermat froze. They barely understood Alan's rambling. He kept repeating '_there's a body_' over and over again.

"Alan! Snap out of it! What's wrong?" Tin-Tin grabbed Alan's arms and shook him to try to get his attention on her. She had never seen Alan so frantic before.

"I...tripped. I tripped over a dead man on the beach. He's dead! Oh, Tin-Tin he's dead!" Alan's prepubescent voice cracked; alarm obviously the factor that made his voice go high. Tears sprung to Alan's eyes as the reality hit him. He had just encountered a dead man…one he didn't recognize…on the beach…outside his…home.

"Let's go. Show us where the dead man is." Tin-Tin grabbed Alan's hand and tried to get him to lead her to the body of the man he'd found, but he pulled away each time she tried dragging him with her. She was wondering if it was a prank being played by Alan's brothers, but she couldn't be sure. Her ears picked up a quiet trickling sound, looking around she saw Alan looking ashamed. He had just wet himself from his panic and previously forgotten urge to relieve himself.

"What's going on? Who was that screaming?" Scott came running out onto the beach, wearing his pajamas and was closely followed by John who was also dressed for bed. The two older brothers had been sitting up on the back patio watching the same meteor shower as Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat when they heard a loud scream from the beach causing them to grab a couple flashlights and come running.

"How could you? You scared him! How could you pull such a cruel prank?" Tin-Tin yelled at the two older Tracy sons while she hugged Alan close. She was fuming. The older brothers thought it was a joke to be able to scare their younger siblings, but this prank had gone too far. Alan was hysterical!

"How could we do what? We never played a prank on him! What are you talking about Tin-Tin?" Scott crouched down to eye level with the eleven year old girl. She was glaring at the eldest Tracy like he had just committed the most heinous of crimes.

"Alan swears he just found a dead body on the beach." Tin-Tin spoke for Alan upon seeing how pale he looked…even in the moonlight he looked as white as a sheet. As soon as the words were out of Tin-Tin's mouth, Alan crouched down to the ground, burying his head in the shelter of his arms and rocking slightly.

"Excuse me? Alan…is what she's saying true?" Scott aimed his flashlight beam at Alan and practically felt his pupil's contract when he saw Alan. "Alan? Are you okay?"

Scott moved from in front of Tin-Tin to crouching down in front of Alan who lifted his head to look forward…unseeing. He was trying to recall how he'd literally stumbled upon the body. He only became aware that he wasn't alone when he felt a gentle tug pulling him into a hug. He realized that Scott was hugging him and rubbing the back of his head soothingly.

"It's okay sprout." Scott had just noticed Alan's wardrobe, and knew Alan wouldn't purposefully neglect the need to relieve himself. Unfortunately, Alan's body decided at the most inopportune time to notify the boy to answer nature's call. Something had seriously frightened Alan and he wanted to figure out what. "Alan, where did you find the body?" Alan simply stared into Scott's eyes, relaying to him how frightened he was.

"Near the jungle." Alan whispered out quietly.

"What were you doing over there Al" John dropped to his knees beside Scott and Alan. Fermat and Tin-Tin stood close by as well.

"I…I had to pee." Alan's composure crumpled at that. The eleven year old boy was embarrassed at having had an accident and to be seen crying, but in his defense he'd forgotten about needing to use the restroom in his haste to get away from the dead man. Second he had not only just discovered an unfamiliar dead man, but he'd touched the corpse.

"Sprout, I am not going to make you show me exactly where the body is, but if you could point me in the general direction I can go take a look." Scott gently ran his fingers through Alan's hair, trying to stop his baby brother's tears. Scott peered over his shoulder when Alan pointed towards the far end of the beach.

"By the water's edge." Alan mumbled out before sniffling. Both John and Scott gave Alan a hug, and realized that Alan was going into shock…he was shaking, cold and clammy.

"John, can you take Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin back up to the house? I'm going to go take a look, and I'll be right back. I would rather they not be down here if there is truly a body over there." Scott leaned over to whisper in John's ear after asking John the first request. "Also, get Alan to take a bath and get him in some pajamas. Maybe even get him to sleep with either Virge or Gordo. He shouldn't be alone right now."

John nodded at Scott before standing up and wrapping his arm around Alan's shoulders. He noticed Alan was literally shaking all the way down into his legs. Nobody could make up that kind of fear. Alan barely talked on the trip back up to the house, he was so shocked by his discovery he'd forgotten how to speak. John dropped Fermat and Tin-Tin off with their parents, quickly explaining why he'd brought them back before directing Alan to the bathroom for a bath.

John grabbed a pair of clean pajamas and helped the quivering boy undress before prompting him to get in the shower. Alan wasn't acting like himself. He was definitely in shock. Alan didn't argue when John helped to undress him nor did he argue over John shampooing his hair for him. After John shut off the shower, he wrapped his baby brother in a towel. Alan just blinked, mouth not forming coherent words.

"Come on buddy…let's get you dressed and into bed." John held on to Alan as the boy dressed himself in his pajamas, before directing him out of his personal bathroom and out into the hall. John slipped Virgil's bedroom door open and peered in quietly. Virgil could sleep through anything and John figured Virgil would be the best bet as a bed partner for Alan. "Go climb in next to Virgil."

Alan did what he was told and John tucked him in, before crouching down to lightly kiss Alan on the forehead. John could see the fear that was still present in Alan's eyes and figured he'd run down to the infirmary to grab a sedative to slip to Alan. The boy needed something to give him a dreamless sleep.

"I'll be right back sprout. Try to go to sleep, okay?" John whispered at Alan before gently kissing his forehead again. Alan just continued to stare at him.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

John closed Virgil's bedroom door with a sigh. That hadn't been easy making Alan take the sedative. The boy was afraid to go to sleep and had at first refused to take the medicine until John assured him that there was no chance of seeing the dead man in his dreams. Then he'd taken it, and John stayed until Alan slipped off into a restless sleep. Virgil didn't wake up at all during the whole John pestering Alan to take the sedative, what a surprise. Alan had whined over being forced to take a sleeping aid, but had quieted down when John assured him that he'd have a dreamless sleep.

John's ears perked up when he heard the sounds of someone jogging. He knew it was Scott; the eldest brother had adopted a rhythm to his jog…almost as if he was singing those air force basic training songs in his head and trying to match his steps word for word. John walked down the hall to meet Scott halfway.

"So, was there really a body? Or do you think Alan freaked over nothing?" John looked at Scott to see his mouth formed a straight line.

"Yeah, there really is a body. I'm going to go wake dad, we need to get the body off the beach before the kids see it again." Scott walked along slowly, he was just as shocked. "Dad needs to know, there may have been a boating accident somewhere."

"Scott, we live in the middle of the south pacific. We are too far from land, there is no way this was just a simple boating accident. It would have to be a ship…a cruise or fishing boat maybe." John bit his lip in worry.

"It doesn't matter what happened. All I know is that right now there is a dead man lying on the beach, and it is clearly obvious Alan tripped over the body...the scuff marks in the sand show where Alan fell in relation to the corpse. Dad needs to know…right now." Scott quickened his pace. He wanted to check on Alan before he went to bed, but he also wanted to get the body out of view.

Scott and John both approached their dad's bedroom. Scott knocked on his dad's door, before entering. The hallway light spilled into the darkened bedroom, and Scott quietly made his way to his dad's bed. The eldest Tracy son shook his dad's shoulder…whispering for his dad to awaken.

"Dad, there is a problem. Come on wake up!" Scott increased his shaking of his dad, and sighed in relief when he heard his dad awaken.

"Wha? Scott?" Jeff sat up in bed, before turning on his bedside lamp. He rubbed his eyes to clear them enough to see his surroundings. "Do you know what time it is Scott?"

Scott perched on the side of his dad's bed, looking at the disgruntled stare being directed at him. Jeff usually preferred to remain asleep once he was down for the night, and didn't really take kindly to interruptions. But the look on Scott's face was enough to alert him.

"What is it Scott? Is everything okay?" Jeff yawned as he became more alert. Scott wouldn't wake him for anything.

"Um, there is a situation on the beach." Scott looked to the doorway, beckoning John to enter their dad's bedroom.

"Are Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat all right? They aren't hurt are they?" Jeff grew concerned at the mention of the beach. The three youngest members of their island family were camping on the beach.

"They are fine…scared mostly. Alan…he discovered a body near the jungle." Scott looked his dad dead in the eye, to relay the seriousness of the situation.

"A…body? Serious…there is a body on the beach? Human?" Jeff gaped at John and Scott. His sleep muddled mind was having trouble connecting the dots.

"Yeah, it's a man." Scott stood up, beckoning for his dad to follow him.

"All right, where are the kids?" That was Jeff's number one priority, finding out where his youngest son and friend's children were.

"I took Fermat and Tin-Tin back to their parents. After that I helped Al with a bath, I had him lay down with Virge. He just fell asleep." John volunteered as he followed his dad and big brother from the room.

"A bath? Why did you help him with a bath and why is he sleeping with Virgil?" Jeff glanced over his shoulder at his second eldest.

"I helped him with a bath because he literally peed his pants after he found the body. Then I had him go sleep with Virgil because he was in shock." John walked with his dad and brother, looking at them as he walked. This was quite the event taking place at their home.

"Well, let's go take a look shall we?" Jeff tied his robe closed as he walked. This was not a very comforting feeling. Where had the body come from?

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Jeff knelt on the sand beside the body. He was checking it for injuries, anything that might give him an idea of where the man was from or what killed him. So far all he was able to conclude was that the man had been dead for a while. There was slight decomposition, and the body appeared swollen. He wasn't stiff anymore…the rigor mortis had faded a while ago.

All Jeff could see was that the man had a broken neck and according to his employee ID in his wallet, he was a deck hand on a fishing boat. Sighing deeply, he reached back to Scott who placed a blanket in his hand. They would need to cover the body for the time being, until they could move it or until the authorities arrived.

"John, go contact the authorities. We need to get this body removed, and we need it done yesterday. Scott and I will remain here." Jeff tossed part of the blanket over to Scott who began unfolding it. Together, Jeff and Scott draped the material over the body, hiding the gruesome details from prying or innocent eyes.

"Okay dad. While I am up there, I'm going to check on Allie as well. He was pretty shook up earlier." John waved at his dad and older brother before walking away.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

John hung up the phone in his dad's study. He just talked to a police officer that promised to send a medevac to their coordinates to retrieve the body. The officer expressed his pity when John informed him that his eleven year old brother and his friends found the body. John told the officer the victim's name that had been on his ID, and even though the police officer wasn't really supposed to say anything, he informed John that the man had fallen overboard when a storm hit. The victim had been missing for over a month, and it had been a fishing boat accident.

Heaving a sigh, John turned around to find Virgil standing behind him with their baby brother clinging to his back. Virgil's face was a pale white and he looked as though he was being strangled by Alan. The boy had his arm wrapped tightly around Virgil's neck and he appeared to be asleep.

"What's going on John?" Virgil didn't know anything about the body on the beach and he was clearly confused.

"There was an incident on the beach." John didn't really know what to say…he didn't want to say anything with Alan being in the room lest that frighten the poor boy more than he already was, but John also knew that Virgil needed to know.

"Well, I gathered that much. I came in right before you hung up. What is this about a body on the beach?" Virgil boosted Alan up higher as he began to slide down, he couldn't support himself as he was in fact asleep.

"Alan found the body of a dead man on the beach. He ran away and Scott and I ran to him, Tin-Tin and Fermat after we heard him scream. I brought the kids back up and after getting Al in his pajamas, coaxed him to crawl into bed with you." John walked up and reached over Virgil's shoulder to gently brush some of Alan's blonde locks from his forehead.

"Were Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat alright?" The concern shone brightly on Virgil's face.

"Well, Al went into shock. I had to give him something to sleep because he was afraid to close his eyes. I don't know whether Tin-Tin and Fermat were affected though. I highly doubt it…neither of them saw the body." John looked directly into Virgil's eyes. "Alan found him washed up on the beach near the jungle."

"Oh my god, what happened?" Virgil peeked over his shoulder sympathetically at Alan. The boy was just a mere child; he shouldn't have been the one to find the body.

"Let's go put Alan to bed with Gordon and you can come with me to inform dad of the situation. The medevac should be here within the hour." John motioned with his head for Virgil to follow him. Together they walked to Gordon's bedroom and eased Alan into bed with the redhead. Gordon stirred at the movement and opened an eye at the sleep disturbance.

"What's going on?" Gordon pushed up from his position on his stomach to look at his two elder brothers and to make room for his little brother who he noticed was being slid in to bed with him.

"Alan needs to sleep with you right now. He found a dead man on the beach and we need someone to stay with him in case he wakes up." John helped Virgil tuck Alan in beside Gordon before whispering at him again. "Go back to sleep Gordon. Sorry for waking you."

"No problem. G'night." Gordon wrapped an arm around Alan, pulling him into his side before settling back into sleep.

"Okay, let's go see if dad is in his office yet." John led Virgil from Gordon's bedroom and towards their dad's office. John sighed heavily when he came to find his dad hadn't come back up yet. "Okay, he is either still on the beach with Scott or he is waiting near the landing strip. Come on, let's go."

John wanted to try to avoid the beach, so he walked to the airstrip and groaned slightly when he found his dad wasn't there either. He was not too keen on seeing the body again, but he knew his dad should know of the medevac's impending arrival. Virgil yawned as he followed John, and the blonde felt bad for his younger brother. Virgil was like their dad in the sense that once he was asleep, he usually preferred to remain so and being woken up two to three hours after having gone to bed was not appreciated.

"Sorry for making Alan sleep with you Virge, I didn't mean for him to wake you up." John apologized for anything their baby brother may have done while asleep. Virgil could get cranky if he was woken up without justified cause.

"He didn't wake me up. I got thirsty and went to go get a glass of water. Alan was clinging to my arm and wouldn't let me up, so I brought him with me. For a kid who is such a light sleeper, he sure was conked out." Virgil rubbed at one of his eyes before stifling another yawn. He wasn't mad about Alan sleeping with him…he was used to it. Having a younger brother that was seven and a half years younger was like being a part time parent to Virgil.

Growing up, Alan was the main culprit to come to Virgil after a nightmare, primarily because Virgil's room was conveniently next door and also because Alan was slightly afraid of the dark. As a small child, the youngest Tracy hated trekking through the darkened halls to get to his dad or Scott's room, so he went for the closest brother for comfort which happened to be Virgil.

"He was out cold because I gave him a sedative. Come on. I was trying to avoid the beach, but it looks like dad and Scott are still down there." John lead the way back down to the beach and from a distance he could see his dad and Scott stoking the campfire the kids had abandoned after hearing Alan's terrified scream. It was cool out at 1:30 in the morning, and John was looking forward to going to bed himself.

"Why were you trying to avoid the beach? Is the body that bad?" Virgil grimaced.

"Well, it's certainly not pretty. I can understand why Alan screamed when he discovered it. The guy's face is…eh...half gone and he doesn't really look human anymore." John pulled a face at his own description of the body. "Trust me; you can live without seeing it. One little brother scarred by the sight is enough for me thank you very much."

"I wasn't going to ask to see the body; I am just coming with you because I am awake and probably will be for a while. You know me; once I am awake…I am awake for good." Virgil walked beside John, pondering how badly Alan would be affected by this incident. It was never a good thing for a child to see a dead body, but to discover a half decomposed corpse on the beach of your home and that of a stranger was cause for concern. "Alan will probably need counseling after this."

"No doubt. I think dad might just put me and Scott in it with him because we saw the body as well. If so, no worries…at least Alan won't be alone." John combed his fingers through his hair. He just wanted to go to bed, but he also wanted to watch that medevac fly away…taking the corpse with them. Then he wanted to give his baby brother a hug. Not exactly in that order though.

Together John and Virgil approached the beach, Virgil couldn't see where the body was at, but had no doubt that it was a fair distance from the campsite. John raised his hand to wave at Scott and their dad, before calling out to them. The two older Tracy's were huddled around the fire to keep warm.

"Hey! Got in touch with the authorities?" Scott waved John over, failing to notice Virgil standing behind the older blonde.

"Yeah, I spoke to a police officer and he said the vic fell overboard in a fishing boat accident. Apparently some big storm hit about a month ago and he was the only one who had yet to be found. They're sending a medevac and they should be here soon to come retrieve the corpse." John crouched down beside the fire, warming his hands.

"Virge, what are you doing up?" Jeff noticed Virgil standing beside John and was curious about Alan's whereabouts. Scott and John told him earlier that he was sleeping with Virgil.

"I got up for a glass of water and Alan was clinging to me like a limpet." Virgil explained with a shrug. "John helped me to transfer him to Gordon's bed. Gordo is aware of why Al is sleeping with him…at least I think so, he had just woke up himself when we were getting Alan settled into bed."

"Okay, well. John, Virgil…could you two go wait up at the airstrip to direct the medevac when they come in to land? I would greatly appreciate your help." Jeff looked at his second and third oldest sons for their confirmation. He smiled appreciatively when they nodded their consent. "Thank you boys."

"No problem dad." John and Virgil both waved at their dad and oldest brother before walking away…back towards the airstrip.


	3. Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Gordon was fast asleep and shot up from his slumber when he heard a loud cry. Looking around he realized that his little brother was asleep in his bed…and screaming while he slept. Gordon hurried to calm him, and shook his brother until he woke up. Alan was gasping when he opened his eyes before settling down and going back to sleep. Alan wasn't even aware that he'd been woken up.

"Geez kid, just what did you see down there?" Gordon laid back down, and gathered his slumbering baby brother in his arms once again before drifting back off to the realm of dreams.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

John and Virgil were both sitting on the airstrip playing a short round of 'Go fish' with a stack of playing cards they'd found lying around. The medevac wouldn't arrive for a little while longer and both brothers were trying to find something to keep themselves awake as well as get their mind off the body lying on the beach. It was quite disturbing that a corpse had washed up on their island.

"Do you think Allie will be okay?" Virgil stretched his legs out in front of himself to relieve one of his feet which had fallen asleep.

"I don't know…" John shook his head somberly. "You didn't see the terror Alan expressed…the poor kid peed his pants for God's sake. I don't know anyone that would be okay after tripping over a dead body."

"Wait…he tripped over the body? I thought he just discovered it…not touched it." Virgil's head snapped around to look at his big brother with an owl like gaze.

"Yeah, Al was running to the jungle to go take a leak and tripped over the dead guy. Scott found the spots in the sand where he fell." John heaved a sigh before shaking his head. "I would have screamed and wet myself too if I'd been in Alan's shoes."

"Poor kid." Virgil shifted his feet and resettled on the cool concrete of the airstrip. Turning his gaze up towards the sky, Virgil leaned back against the wall to look at the stars. "So, what about Fermat and Tin-Tin…are they okay?"

"Yeah, as far as I know neither of them saw the body. Where dad and Scott were sitting by the fire was close to where Scott and I found Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin…they weren't in proximity to the body apparently." John crossed his feet at the ankles before looking up at the sky. "God I hope this doesn't traumatize Alan for life."

"You and me both bro." Virgil gazed up towards the sky and allowed his eyes to slip closed. He didn't notice himself slipping down the side of the wall or John lying his head on his lap.

"Rest…I'll wake you when the medevac arrives to take the faceless man." John was heard murmuring to Virgil as the young artist slipped away from consciousness.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

John never thought he'd be happy to see the sight of the spotlight located on the back of the medevac helijet. But the sight of the aircraft was a sight to behold for the young stargazer. John grabbed the orange cones and began to direct the helijet in for landing. Listening to the low whine of the aircraft, John felt a thankful smile come to his face.

"Virgil wake up! They're here!" John called from the far side of the tarmac where he stood waiting for the professionals to disembark their aircraft.

Virgil lifted his head and rubbed at his eyes as he heard the helijet's engines die. Like John he couldn't hide the smile that formed on his face at the sight of the very welcome aircraft. Standing quickly, Virgil hurried over to join John in greeting the professionals that were removing a stretcher from the belly of the helijet.

"Hello, thank you for coming out here." John strode forward and shook hands with the two men and one woman that climbed from the helijet.

"No problem…are you the one that called it in?" The woman accepted John's hand and shook it gently before shaking Virgil's hand.

"Yes, that'd be me. I think I speak for my family and friends that reside with us here on the island when I say that I greatly appreciate your coming out here as quick as you did." John smiled gratefully, before he led the three professionals up the tarmac.

"This is a nice place you've got here. Doesn't it ever get lonely?" One of the men stated as he looked around at all the sights present on the island.

"No…it's actually pretty lively here." John walked up the stone steps that led up to the family's patio.

"Aren't your feet cold?" The woman asked, but John shook his head as he looked down at his bare feet. The stone walkway was actually kind of comfortable, especially considering that you couldn't walk around outside without shoes on during the day because of the heat.

"No…I like the coolness." John replied as he glanced down at Virgil's equally bare feet. Both boys preferred not to wear slippers or socks unless they absolutely had to…other than that they wore flip-flops or sandals. "Anyway, please keep up. It'd be a pity if you got lost."

"No kidding. I think it'd take days to get out of that forest we saw before we came in to land." One of the other professionals commented.

"That's a jungle, not a forest." Virgil replied with a chuckle. "I can assure you though that if you got lost, we'd organize a search party and look for you."

"Well, how about let's not get separated and say we did."

"Agreed." The small group said together.

"So, care to fill us in on what happened?" One of the males inquired.

"Our youngest brother tripped over the departed gentleman that lay on our beach and became frightened. He screamed and ran away, thereby attracting the attention of me and our oldest brother." John supplied. "He and his friends were having a backyard camping trip which went horribly, horribly wrong."

"I see." The woman said sympathetically. "How old is your youngest brother?"

"He's eleven…his two friends are nine and eleven respectfully. They were camping out on the beach, watching the meteor shower." Virgil replied quietly.

"Virge, could you do me a favor and go check on Gordo and Alan…make sure Allie isn't having nightmares please?" John stopped the group at the staircase leading down to the beach.

"I suppose." Virgil turned and ran back in the direction of the villa, his bare feet slapping against the stone walk path rhythmically.

"Well, now that he's gone, I'd be more than happy to take you down to remove the departed gentleman from our property." John motioned at the three professionals to follow him. One of the professionals glanced over their shoulder at Virgil's retreating back before following closely behind John and the other two professionals.

"Why did you send him away?" The woman inquired, her voice raising slightly.

"I don't think you understand…I've already got one traumatized little brother…I don't need any more. I'd prefer Virgil not glimpse the corpse, he's quite gruesome." John spoke in clipped tones as he led the three professionals down the path. "Please, just do my family a favor and remove that…man from here, preferably before Alan awakens. I do not look forward to having to comfort him when he screams in the night and I'd prefer to be positive in telling him the man is gone before I give him false hope that he won't have to see him again."

"Rest assured son…we'll get the man out of here as soon as we can." One of the older professionals said as he placed a sure and strong hand upon John's shoulder.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Jeff glanced up when he heard a little bit of clattering and the sight he saw made him smile sadly. There were three people wearing dark navy blue jumpsuits walking with John. The pajama clad nineteen year old boy looked a sight for sore eyes. His blonde hair glowed in the moonlight and he led the group through the sand, down to the fire pit that Jeff himself had helped Alan to dig. Standing up, Jeff extended a hand in greeting to the "rescuers".

"Hello, thank you for coming out here as quick as you did."

"It's no trouble." The older rescuer replied as he shook Jeff and Scott's hands.

"Where's the victim?" The female rescuer inquired.

"Further down the beach." Scott stood up and motioned with his head for the rescuers to follow him and his dad to the body.

"So…any ideas as to where the body came from?" Scott inquired of the three rescuers.

"Somewhere between here and the states I reckon. A massive storm hit and started tossing a trolling boat around, thereby sending a couple men overboard." The older rescuer replied. "It's a shame the poor man lost his life, but he wasn't wearing a life jacket according to the crew that survived."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Virgil sat upon the edge of Gordon's bed and watched his two little brothers sleep. Gordon had both his arms wrapped around Alan and was holding him close into his chest. Alan had his head nestled into Gordon's neck. Both boys were snoring lightly.

"I hope you are sleeping well Sprout." Virgil reached over and gently scrubbed his fingers through Alan's hair. The younger boy sighed in contentment at the feeling of his brother's fingers massaging his scalp.

Virgil turned slightly where he sat on Gordon's bed and gazed out the window. He knew that John sent him away from the beach not just to check on Alan and Gordon, but to simply keep him away from the sight of the body. John had told him he didn't want any more traumatized younger brothers, one was enough and as angry as that made Virgil…he could understand. He had no desire to see the body either. Just the description was enough for him.

The artist started slightly as he heard the whine of the helijet's engines start up. It looked as though they got the body loaded up and ready to go. A small bit of illumination lit up the room and Virgil looked over to see their dad peeking into the room.

"Hey Virgil, how's your brother doing?" The patriarch whispered.

"Okay I guess. He's sound asleep." Virgil once more scrubbed his fingers through Alan's blonde mop of hair.

Jeff perched on the bed beside Virgil and trailed a finger gently down the side of Alan's face. The little blonde stirred at the touch, but didn't awaken…simply snuggling deeper into Gordon's neck.

"I was going to take your brother with me so I could keep an eye on him, but it seems that he is comfortable where he is." Jeff gently brushed a bit of Alan's bangs off his forehead, before leaning over and kissing his forehead gently. "They took the body with them and have just taken off."

"What a relief. You have no idea how happy that news makes me." Virgil replied, before standing to return to his own bedroom.

"Daddy?" Jeff and Virgil both started as they heard the innocent voice of the youngest Tracy, glancing down they saw he'd rolled over in Gordon's grasp and was rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Hey champ…how're you feeling?" Jeff gently brushed Alan's fringe away from his forehead.

"Sleepy…" Alan's eyes sagged with exhaustion.

"Go back to sleep bud, its okay." Jeff cooed as he joined Virgil in gently running his fingers through Alan's thick blonde hair.

"Can I sleep with you daddy?" Alan gave Jeff his best impression of the puppy dog pout and Jeff nodded with a warm smile in place.

"Sure you can champ. Come on." Jeff stood up and lifted his youngest into his arms, taking pleasure when he felt Alan's small arms wrap around his neck in a sure grasp. "Go ahead and go back to sleep champ, it's okay."

Alan wasted no time in following his father's gentle orders and he rested his head upon Jeff's shoulder, turning his head slightly to press his nose into the junction where his father's neck and shoulders met. A light snore gave Jeff the clearance he needed to go ahead and walk back to his room, with Alan in tow.

"Virgil, it's okay. You can go back to bed…you look beat." Jeff gently nudged Virgil with his shoulder before walking out of the room. "Good night son."

"Night dad. Take care of him." Virgil replied quietly, not wanting to awaken either Gordon or Alan.

"Will do." Jeff made his way down the hall before slipping into his bedroom. Striding towards his bed, he gently eased his youngest between the sheets of his massive king-sized bed. Pulling the blankets up over the thin shoulders, Jeff leaned over and placed another kiss upon Alan's brow. The young blonde didn't stir at the affection, but continued to slumber on. Jeff moved over to the other side of his bed and slid down beneath the sheets before grasping Alan's tiny hand in his large hand and squeezing gently. Alan returned the squeeze slightly, before Jeff slipped back to sleep.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The next morning when Jeff awoke, he was woken up to a slight tickle in his nose and when he opened his eyes he found the tickle was due to a couple strands of his son's shaggy blonde hair. Alan had sidled up close to him sometime during the night and that placed Alan's head directly beneath Jeff's nose, thus enabling Alan's hair to tickle his father's nose. Jeff pulled away from Alan so that the constant tickle of Alan's hair in his nose wouldn't cause him to sneeze, thereby awakening Alan after the long night. Glancing down at his baby boy, Jeff had a bit of a sappy smile at the content look on Alan's face.

Gone were the apparent signs of terror that John and Scott described to him that they'd seen as clear as day on their baby brother's face. Gone were the tear tracks that Jeff knew had to have trailed down Alan's face upon realizing the fear the child experienced. Gone was the body that lay on the beach that had terrified his son so. Jeff could never thank that medevac team enough for getting out there as quick as they did, before loading up the body…no questions asked and leaving in the dark of night.

While Jeff knew it was only just a matter of time, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alan needed to go see a counselor at least for a couple weeks so he wouldn't suffer because of what he saw the previous night. A soft sigh broke through his thoughts and Jeff looked down to see his baby boy in mid-stretch.

"Hey buddy, how'd you sleep?" Jeff gently stroked Alan's cheek and grinned wryly at seeing the wrinkles from the pillowcases pressed into Alan's face.

"I had a bad dream." Alan whispered, afraid to speak aloud for fear that what he'd dreamt had actually been real. Glancing around slightly, Alan noticed he was not out on the beach, but sleeping in his father's bed. "Dad…it wasn't real…right?"

Jeff sagged in defeat. He knew that he had to tell Alan that no…it wasn't just a bad dream, but he didn't want to make his boy feel like the start to the day was bad because of what he'd experienced the previous night on the beach.

"I'm sorry son…it wasn't a dream." Jeff gently palmed his son's forehead before gently brushing his sleep addled bangs from his forehead. "But it's over now. He's gone now and you won't have to see him again."

"I was so scared dad." Alan leaned into his father's grasp and wrapped his arms as best he could around his dad's frame. "Who was he?"

"That doesn't matter son. All you need to know is that it's over and we're all here for you." Jeff hugged Alan close before continuing. "If you ever get scared in the middle of the night and can't sleep, or if you just want to talk about it come find me or one of your brothers and we'll talk with you. You have my promise that we'll help you get through this. Do you understand Champ?"

Alan settled into his father's hold and reflected on the previous evening. Images of the dead man – how he was missing half of his face was downright nauseating. But then Alan thought back to what his father just told him and how safe he'd felt when his dad and brothers comforted him the night before.

"I understand daddy." Alan nodded and a small smile played across Alan's face as his dad gave him another tender squeeze. The eleven year old boy didn't think he'd ever get tired of his father's hugs – aside from the hugs he got from his brothers and grandma, his dad's hugs were some of the best he'd ever had.

"Good, now how about you and I sneak down to the kitchen before your brothers wake up and fix some chocolate chip pancakes?" Jeff rose up on his elbow to look down at his youngest with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Yeah!" Alan loved it when his dad fixed his special chocolate chip pancakes. Despite him not being a very good cook among other things, he fixed amazing chocolate chip pancakes and Alan loved the specialty item.

"Well…you'd better hold on tight kiddo." Jeff growled playfully before sitting up quickly and grabbing Alan and lifting his boy over his shoulder, eliciting a squealing giggle from the eleven year old kid. Carrying Alan over his shoulder, Jeff tickled his son's feet…making his youngest squirm before hurrying down the stairs so that Alan's laughter wouldn't awaken his other sons.

Jeff made his way into the kitchen and despite all that had happened the previous night, felt happy. Sure he was sad for the family that lost their loved one in something as unavoidable as a storm washing the poor guy overboard, but he was happy that now the family would have closure. It saddened Jeff that his little boy, baby boy had experienced such fright, but he hoped that in the long run that would make Alan a stronger person and not let such a traumatic experience as discovering – tripping over and touching a corpse dampen his growth into a sure strong and brave young man.

As Jeff pulled the pancake mix from the kitchen cabinet, he couldn't help but to laugh at his youngest trying to help him fix breakfast for the family. Alan had grabbed the bag of bulk chocolate chips and vanilla flavoring for the pancake mix, before retrieving the milk and eggs from the refrigerator. His arms were loaded with the ingredients and Jeff removed the items from Alan's arms before picking up the boy and setting him upon the counter so he could be of more help.


End file.
